Bethany College President Wants Community Involvement
The Rev. Tamara Rodenberg, who earlier this year became Bethany College’s 20th president, told the Brooke County Commission Tuesday she will encourage more involvement by the college and its students in the community.
Rodenberg invited the commissioners to suggest any partnerships the college and county might form while updating them on efforts to improve the school itself.
She said she has worked with Jay Eisenhauer, Bethany’s physical plant director, to develop a five-year plan for improvements to campus facilities.
Rodenberg said repairs have been made to the previously uneven brick walk in front of Old Main and to sidewalks, and lighted emergency call boxes have been installed at sites to improve safety. Also, she hopes to strengthen the campus’ Wi-Fi reception, which she said is desired by many students who often possess at least five electronic devices and would allow college staff to communicate easily with major cities.
Rodenberg noted the college recently opened an office of career and professional development at Morlan Hall, where counselors can aid students in identifying potential internship and employment opportunities.
She said her goal is for 98 percent of Bethany graduates to be at work in their field or furthering their educations within a year after commencement.
Rodenberg said today’s students are expected to experience two to four career changes in their lifetimes and the college must teach them to be adaptive in various environments. She said a combination of job-related courses and studies in the liberal arts, such as literature and history, will prepare students well by encouraging them to think critically in their chosen fields.
Asked how many students are enrolled at the college, Rodenberg said there are 648 full-time students living on campus. She conceded larger numbers have been reported in recent years but said that is the most accurate count, reflecting the number who most affect the school’s budget.
Rodenberg said the students come from various places and include about 42 international students, but most are from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
She said the quality of students is very important, and she may push for higher standards of acceptance to match the more rigorous studies expected at the school.
“At commencement when I shake their hands as they cross the stage, I’ll know they earned their degree because it’s not going to happen otherwise,” she said.
Rodenberg was excited by news from Brooke Hills Park board member Paul “Bud” Billiard that the park is working to establish disc golf and foot golf courses, suggesting Bethany students could become involved in intramural sports programs there.
In other business, Lenny DeWitt, a member of the Brooke County Pioneer Trail Association, told the commission a $50,000 Federal Highway Administration grant has been awarded through the West Virginia Division of Highways for an engineering study for a recreational trail from 30th Street in Wellsburg to the Cross Creek area near Brooke High School.
DeWitt said the grant requires no local match and will further efforts to establish a link between Wellsburg’s Yankee Trail and a 430-mile system of trails extending from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C.
Ruby Greathouse, president of the trail association, said the course of the path hasn’t been determined. But she said incorporating the pedestrian crossing at 27th Street is being considered as a safer alternative to having trail users cross at the intersection of W.Va. 2 and Cross Creek Road.
Greathouse said if the link is accomplished, it will result in the longest stretch of trail in North America.
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